November 27, 2012

"The combination of ‘blackness’ with the negative connotations of ‘dog’, noun and verb, seems an eminently apt description of depression: an ever-present companion, lurking in the shadows just out of sight, growling, vaguely menacing, always on the alert; sinister and unpredictable, capable of overwhelming you at any moment. Further, the ‘dark hound’ is an archetypal object of fear, with a long tradition in folklore and myth. Black dogs in dreams are interpreted negatively, often representing death; from all over the world come tales of nightmares caused by oppressive black dogs crushing the sleeper’s chest."

The topic came up this morning at Meadhouse, which is brightened this morning — and many mornings — by the presence of Zeus, the neighbors' black Labrador Retriever. I've heard that there's prejudice against black dogs. They're least likely to be chosen from amongst the abandoned shelter dogs, most likely to get put down. Ah, yes: black dog syndrome. Some people jump to the conclusion that it's racist. But it seems more likely that people experience the black dog metaphorically. It's depression.

(Another really practical explanation is that black dogs don't photograph well, so it's harder for shelters to interest people in their black dogs. But since people love to photograph their dogs, maybe you should prefer a dog that photographs well.)

"The combination of ‘blackness’ with the negative connotations of ‘dog’, noun and verb, seems an eminently apt description of depression: an ever-present companion, lurking in the shadows just out of sight, growling, vaguely menacing, always on the alert; sinister and unpredictable, capable of overwhelming you at any moment."

It's pretty prose, but to me, depression would be more interesting if it actually felt like that.

In my experience, depression is more of a toxic fog of boredom; an inability to take interest in anything; a lack of care for the things that require attention. When I'm depressed, I would rather go to an AA meeting and complain that the dishes haven't been done for three days, rather than do the dishes.

And in some cases it is ... witness the term "black dog" in spoken Korean as "geomdung-i" [in Hangul as 검둥이 ] which translates to "ni**er, coon, darky, dark-skinned person, darkey, black dog" even in Google.

I recall a slightly changed pronunciation of "geodung-ah" with emphasis on the last hyphenated syllable as being a more endearing term for black canines. That, or my mind is forgetting more than I knew. :-)

We owned an Okla-bred black AKC female Chow--being Orleanian ex=pats at the time living in Louisville, we named her Tchoupitoulas.GREAT dog(s)! The Chinese bred them as household guard dogs and boy they are that! REALLY protective! She would check out every room before bedding down at night. And they are also very intelligent dogs. Our first indication was when she kept looking behind the tv to see where the body was attached to the talking-head newsie, lol! And she was a great companion to our then young son. RIP 'Chomp (which is what she would do to strangers on the property, lol--although once off the property was very friendly to strangers)

We also owned a black female Doberman named Gretchen who used to climb into our very young son's bed at night, stretch out beside him and cover him with a protective leg& paw. Another great black dog..

Damn ...that should have been "geomdung-ah". Sorry. In Korean every tone and inflection is significant. Like the rural hinterland word for puppy is "kay-sicci (dog baby) means "son of a bitch" when spoken with gusto ... such as "kay-sicci-Ya!!" In more sophisticated Korean that would be "gae agi" also literally dog baby...without the negative connotation.

Size matters. Black Pomeranians do not have a brooding presence. The spirit of a wolf trapped inside the body of a plush, fluffy toy. I don't know whether their size mocks their aggression or vice versa, but it's very hard not to smile in their presence.

On that, you and I are sympatico, garage. I don't want to breed them though. I want to take lab puppies with show dog bloodlines, rejected for disqualifying "imperfections", train them to hunt or serve special needs, and then move them on to appropriate homes. I'm currently researching how to get there.

Black cats have an even tougher time finding homes. Unless, of course, it is near Halloween. Then we shelter folk have to be very careful they are not adopted for fake (or real) rituals where they are often terribly abused.

The Black Dog is a pub on Martha's Vineyard, and is a trendy brand name you'll see on t-shirts.

It became popular during various Clinton vacations there in the 1990s, especially when it was found among the swag that Clinton gave to Monica.

The Black Dog is a restaurant and tavern in Vineyard Haven on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The restaurant was founded in 1971, and became well known for its souvenir T-shirts, featuring its logo of the eponymous black dog. They subsequently expanded to sell other products with the same logo.

The Black Dog T-shirts became well known during the 1990s as photographs of celebrities wearing the shirts began appearing in national publications. For example, a photograph of then-President Bill Clinton jogging while wearing one was distributed by national wire services. Black Dog merchandise became part of the Lewinsky scandal, as items from the store were purchased by Bill Clinton and given to Monica Lewinsky.

In a soldier’s stance, I aimed my handAt the mongrel dogs who teachFearing not that I’d become my enemyIn the instant that I preachMy pathway led by confusion boatsMutiny from stern to bowAh, but I was so much whiter thenI’m blacker than that now

Meade: Talk to some local breeders about their "pet quality" pups -- my wedding present to my husband was a pet quality golden out of a field-trialing litter ... Toby was a wonderful dog and I miss him still. They will, however, still cost a fair amount as they won't be giveaways. The breeders themselves may have a line on local organizations that do service-dog training. It's a specialized line and requires that trainer and dog pass state certification tests in most jurisdictions, so you should check this out. Local vets may also have a line on service-dog organizations that can help you with training.

I'm currently on my 6th or so BBD (shelter-speak Big Black Dog) -- went to adopting them when I heard they were hard to place. I've loved them all over the years, and it's hard thinking about a time when I might have to be without one.

And now for something completely different; I read a few years ago that a woman had her face torn off by a black lab, which surprised me. She got a face transplant, but wasn't following transplant protocol, as she was smoking cigarettes. Don't know how it all turned out.

Face torn off? Musta used teeth. Maxx just tries to *lick* my face off. He plays bite, but only plays. I could smush him like jelly and he wouldn't bite me. He would just make some noises, unless I bribed him with snack. The only problem is I will outlive him, presumably.

IIRC, you have a Nikon D300. If so, I suggest you try photographing the dog in raw mode and then lighten the shadows in Lightroom or other photo-editing software of your choice. It's remarkable how much detail a good DSLR can pull out of the shadows.

@deborahI wonder if that black lab that bit the woman in the face was really a black lab. I remember when I was around 5 yrs old I went to visit a litter of puppies, and the momma bit me square in the ass and went running home bawling. Looked sorta like a black lab but really it was some sort of mix. Never forget that day as long as I live. Hurt like mofo!

Interesting idea. A needed effort on behalf of a breed that is still essentially a working dog at heart. My second favorite after GSD's.

You inadvertently touch on why I have nearly no use for the "show dog fancy" who change their "standards" periodically on stylistic whim. Then they grade their own dogs as "pet quality" or worse when that fad isn't met.

I wonder if that black lab that bit the woman in the face was really a black lab.

The first dog that ever bit me was a black Labrador...about age 10 IIRC. However, the dog was right and we kids were "wrong"...e.g., we were stealing rides on a farmer's plow horses in pasture. We used to figure we could make the fence before the dog did. One day...whoops, right in the ass.

I've had several other bites when working with training dogs in protection phase of trials work. Usually it is my own fault due to error, silly or not.

Depending on the dog and temperament (different even within breeds), a dog will bite anything that appears threatening to them...whether you intended it that way or not. Take no dog for granted, respect works far better, both ways.

No black dogs of the literal variety, but two black cats. The big one is a construction jobsite rescue who remains so grateful to his guy that he acts pretty dog-like - waiting at the door when he comes home, always underfoot, etc.My son had bad allergic reactions when younger and animal dander was an issue. Today, I wouldn't mind a black dog, but make him a big standard poodle without the stupid haircut. Why humiliate the animal like that?

Black cats? My very first pet was a black male we named Sylvester because his markings were exactly like those of his cartoon name-sake. (He specialized in pouncing on my Father from behind off the kitchen counter-top while Dad was reading the newspaper at the breakfast table.)

Garage ...you may be quite right. However, I caution anyone not to take any dog for granted, however wonderfully bred. It takes a bit of time, which I am sure you've already invested in your dog, to learn various dog body language and other signs of how he/she feels at a given moment. My theory is to treat all dogs more or less the same way, with respect and paying attention to their signals.

Before getting any dog, please carefully consider its breeding. Show dogs, trial dogs, hunting dogs and pet dogs may be all the same breed - but can act like they aren't even the same species as each other. Field trial dogs are bred to have a very high drive and usually require very high amounts of exercise. They can be hard headed and difficult to train. And they have a tendency to dominance aggression. Pet and a lot of the hunting bloodlines are not bred to any standard and have higher rates of genetic problems. Hip dsyplasia for instance.

Best advice is to know the breeder and see both parents. Do the homework. No matter how great the dog may be, if it is placed wrong neither the dog nor the owner will be happy.